Peel CAS serves one of Canada’s most diverse communities. We recognize that Black, Indigenous, and marginalized children and youth have historically been overrepresented in child welfare systems, and we are committed to changing that reality. We are engaged in ongoing collaborations with an array of community partners who work together with us to develop culturally competent wraparound service models that are rooted in the family’s heritage. Through 271 activities and consultations, our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Truth & Reconciliation (DEI-TR) team engaged more than 1,700 individuals and delivered over 350 hours of education focused on improving outcomes for families from equity-deserving communities. We also provided more than 200 case consultations supporting Indigenous, Black, ethnocultural, Arabic-speaking, and 2SLGBTQIA+ children, youth, and families. Each year our agency hosts major events and heritage month celebrations recognizing Indigenous communities, African Heritage and Black History, Pride, Asian Heritage, Truth and Reconciliation, and many other important cultural and community observances. These sessions equip our staff with valuable information, resources, and training, which helps them to support the children, youth, and families we serve. These efforts are producing measurable results: Admissions to care involving Black children decreased by 11% Admissions involving Indigenous children decreased by 13% 95% of caregivers reported that their cultural and religious backgrounds were respected Services are now provided in 47 different languages We continue to embed anti-racism, Truth and Reconciliation, and community-led approaches throughout our work as we strive to create a more inclusive, responsive, and culturally safe environment for the children, youth, families we serve. Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion & Reconciliation
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.